Department for Transport

Travel: Health

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the impact digital health passes could have on international travel.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Our approach has had to balance the risks of imported COVID-19 cases whilst also enabling international travel, which is critical to our economy. To support these objectives, we have worked closely with health and policy experts from across Government. We keep all measures under constant review; the Global Travel Taskforce is working at pace to consider how testing, technology and innovation can drive a recovery for international travel and tourism.

Cycling

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking toprovide support foradults to take up cycling, including for commuting to work.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: On 28 July the Prime Minister launched ambitious plans to boost cycling and walking, with the aim that half of all journeys in towns and cities are cycled or walked by 2030. This includes a £2 billion package of funding for active travel over the next 5 years, which is the largest ever boost for cycling and walking, and will deliver transformational change. The plan includes a number of commitments which will provide support for adults to take up cycling including the roll-out of segregated cycle lanes in towns and cities and offering cycle training to everyone who wants to undertake it, whether free or at a nominal charge. This support for adult cycling builds on the refreshed Cycle to Work Scheme Guidance published in 2019 which made it easier for employers to provide bicycles and equipment including e-bikes and adapted bikes worth over £1,000. The Department has also made funding available in the current financial year for adult cycle training, through both the Bikeability scheme and the Access Fund, and has paid £2m to Transport for London to allow cycle training to be delivered to adults in the capital.

Road Traffic

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how traffic congestion has been monitored in England, (2) what data they have collected, and (3) what data they have published, about such monitoring since 2015.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport produces statistics on road congestion on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and local ‘A’ roads in England. These statistics, used to monitor road congestion and journey time reliability, are compiled from journey time data from in-vehicle global positioning systems (GPS). The statistics report two measures of congestion- average speed as an estimate of the physical level of congestion and average delay which is the difference between speed limit (SRN) or free flow (local ‘A’ roads) travel times and average journey times. Statistics from April 2015 onwards for congestion on the SRN and January 2014 onwards for local ‘A’ roads are published online as part of the 'Road congestion and travel times' collection on gov.uk.

Roads: Closures

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their confirmation that the public sector equality duty still applies in cases where roads have been closed under COVID-19 emergency legislation, whether this obliges local authorities to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment of their road closures.

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether experimental road closures made under regulations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic require an Equality Impact Assessment, and if so, (1) whether the results of those Assessment must be published, (2) what the timeframe is for (a) completing and (b) publishing the Assessment, following the closures.

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have topublish regulations requiring (1) the assessment of the impact of experimental road closures on protected characteristic groups, and (2) the mitigating action in the event of an adverse impact on those groups.

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authorities have any obligation to monitor the impact on air quality of road closures, whether experimental or permanent, including in adjacent roads to which traffic may be displaced.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: It is for local authorities to ensure that any changes they propose to make to road layouts are delivered in line with relevant legislation, consultation and noticing requirements. The Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF) was announced on 9 May and included £225 million of funding in two tranches for local authorities in England. Alongside the funding, the Government published additional Network Management Duty guidance. This clearly set out what the Government expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking in response to Covid-19 and to support a green restart and recovery. These measures included road closures, for example to create low-traffic neighbourhoods. The guidance is clear that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies, and in making any changes to their road networks, authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics, for example by carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on proposed schemes.It is for local authorities to ensure any such assessments are carried out in line with relevant procedures. The Local Air Quality Management regime requires that local authorities review and assess air quality in their area. This will normally include monitoring pollution levels especially where the local authority assesses that air quality objectives may be exceeded.

Ports: EU Law

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the application of CommissionRegulation(EC) No906/2009, on the application of Article 81(3) of the Treaty to certain categories of agreements, decisions and concerted practices between liner shipping companies, to shipping lines and services serving ports in the UK.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Following the European Commission's decision earlier this year, the application of the Regulation has been renewed in respect of the European Union until April 2024. The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and the Competition (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 preserve the Regulation in the UK as a retained exemption. This means that, after the end of the Transition Period, the retained Regulation will operate as an exemption from the prohibition against anti-competitive behaviour in UK law until it expires in April 2024. The Secretary of State will have the power, after the Transition Period, to vary or revoke the retained exemption, acting in consultation with the Competition and Markets Authority.

Railway Stations: Access

Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether social value requirements were (1) considered, and (2) taken into account, when awarding contracts for the Access for All programme; and if so, (a) what weighting was given to social value in each stage of the procurement process, and (b) what are the details of the social value that successful bidding organisations reported that they could add.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Access for All Programme prioritised the busiest stations first and took into account factors such as the incidence of disability in the area, proximity to a hospital, and stations that have high numbers of interchange passengers. A proportion of the funding was also set aside for smaller projects such as customer information systems which promote confidence to travel. This is how we recognise that improved accessibility has benefits that are hard to quantify and are therefore not explicitly reported in terms of social value.

Department of Transport: Consultants

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent on consultancy services by theDepartment for Transport and its related agencies in the 2019/20 financial year; and what was the (1) cost of, and (2) reason for, each such contract.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies spent £77.5m in the financial year 2019/20 on consultancy services. The Department publishes details of all spend above £25000 on Gov.uk and this includes details of consultancy contracts. The main areas for spend for consultancy were within rail, covering rail operations and upgrading rail infrastructure.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Tidal Power: North Wales

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal for a tidal lagoon near the Port of Mostyn in north Wales.

Lord Callanan: The Government has not yet received a detailed proposal from project developers for a proposed tidal lagoon near the Port of Mostyn in North Wales.

Energy Supply and Nuclear Power

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the UK's future energy needs; and what plans they have to increase the generation of nuclear power.

Lord Callanan: The Government believes that nuclear power will play a key role in our future energy mix. Alongside other technologies, such as renewables, nuclear will enable us to remain a world leader in tackling climate change, helping to transition our energy system so that we can achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The forthcoming Energy White Paper will address changes to our energy system, promoting high-skilled jobs and clean, resilient economic growth.

Nuclear Power Stations: Investment

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of investor interest in new nuclear power plants.

Lord Callanan: Nuclear power will play a key role in the UK’s future energy mix as we transition to a low-carbon economy, and we continue to discuss new nuclear projects with viable companies and investors wishing to develop sites in the UK. The developer-led construction of Hinkley Point C in Somerset is well underway, employing thousands of workers and having already invested almost £1.7 billion in the regional economy.

Department for Education

Universities: Coronavirus

Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the restricted access to teaching and part-time employment opportunities experienced by university students in areas affected by additional COVID-19 restrictions,what plans they have to limit the charges those universities operating within such areas can make on their students.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: This is a difficult time for students, as it is for people in society more widely, but we are working with the higher education (HE) sector to make sure that all reasonable efforts are being made to enable students to continue their studies.Universities and other HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees. In deciding what level of fee to charge in the current circumstances, HE institutions will of course want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses which are fit for purpose and help students pursue their qualifications.The government expects universities and other HE providers to continue delivering a high-quality academic experience. If students have concerns about their experience, they should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at institutions in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education to consider their complaint.My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, wrote to HE institutions ?on 26 March to ask that they pay particular attention to the additional challenges being faced by staff and students who have been reliant on income from campus-based jobs at this time.We have worked with the Office for Students, the HE regulator in England, to clarify that universities and other HE institutions can draw upon existing funding from the student premium to increase their hardship funds for students. Students can access this support if they are experiencing particular financial difficulties as a result of COVID-19.Our system of HE tiers, as set out in guidance, intends to help universities identify the appropriate restrictions to impose on their educational provision in response to an outbreak in their area. This is particularly important when there is a change to the local COVID alert level. This guidance is available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses.HE providers should continue work with their local public health teams to control or manage any outbreak. When a university is considering moving between the HE tiers, they should engage their local director of public health and inform the Department for Education if the decision is to move to tier 3 or above.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Local Government Association Fragmented Funding, published on 22 September.

Lord Greenhalgh: The Government is grateful to the LGA for their work on behalf of local government.Government has a long-standing policy to provide funding to local authorities on a non-ringfenced basis. This is based on recognising that the removal of ringfences supports good, efficient and innovative financial management at a local level and gives local authorities the freedom and flexibility to make spending decisions based on their local needs and priorities. However, there are occasions where Ministers collectively consider that there is a recognised need to designate specified resources for specific purposes.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Syria: Armed Conflict

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 October (HL8334), what plans they haveto disclose the government of Turkey’s response to the representations made by UK officials over allegations that the Syrian National Army may have committed war crimes against Kurdish civilians in Afrin and the surrounding area.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have no plans to disclose Turkey's response to the representations by UK officials about allegations made against the Syrian National Army. On 22 September, we highlighted our concerns at the UN Human Rights Council's Interactive Dialogue with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria. We will continue to raise allegations of human rights abuses regularly with all parties to the Syrian conflict, and call on all parties to the conflict to respect international law.

British Overseas Territories: Coronavirus

Lord Risby: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they have provided to British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies during the COVID-19 pandemic; and whether this support will extend to the provision of vaccinations when trials are concluded.

Baroness Sugg: The UK Government has undertaken a major operation to support the Overseas Territories (OTs) in dealing with COVID-19. Support has been sent to all of the inhabited OTs with the exception of Pitcairn. UK support has enabled seven OTs to start testing for the virus and the others to continue testing when supply routes were cut. Supplies of PPE were sent to ensure no OT ran out. Medical equipment was sent to ensure hospitals could cope when each island was cut off from their usual medical evacuation routes by providing field hospital equipment, medicines, ventilators, CPAPS and other equipment. Expert support was provided in the form of advice from PHE, deployments of medical staff and a remote telemedicine service providing OT clinicians with remote access to clinical advice in the treatment of COVID-19 and other critical conditions. Military teams were deployed to the Cayman Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands to support with logistics and border security. Flights were arranged by the FCDO to repatriate British nationals to and from the OTs. Emergency budgetary support has been provided to Montserrat, St Helena and Anguilla to keep essential public services running and ensure these OTs can respond to the impacts of the pandemic.The UK Government has worked closely with the governments of the Crown Dependencies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. While the Crown Dependencies are responsible for their own emergency planning, response and recovery, the UK has engaged at working and political level with these jurisdictions to support their own efforts to combat COVID-19 and mitigate against its spread on the islands. This has included ensuring that the Crown Dependencies can access UK supply chains for key medicines and medical devices, including PPE and ventilators. The UK will maintain this engagement over the coming months to ensure that the UK can continue to offer support to Crown Dependency governments.Through the Vaccine Task Force, the UK Government is procuring vaccines on behalf of the Crown Dependencies and OTs, and is working with them to ensure the smooth deployment of a COVID-19 vaccine once a safe and effective one is available.

Home Office

NRPF Network: Meetings

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will arrangefor a Minister to meet representatives of the No Recourse to Public Funds Network, following a request for such a meeting in their letter to the Prime Minister on 1 October; and if not, why not.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office has a long-established partnership with the NPRF Network and officials meet representatives from the network on a regular basis. This dialogue is supported by shared use of the Connect database.The Connect database allows the Home Office to assist local authorities in confirming immigration status and prioritising the resolution of local authorities’ NRPF caseloads.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the responsibilities of the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The responsibilities of the Clandestine Channel Threat Commander can be found https://www.gov.uk/government/news/home-secretary-appoints-small-boat-commanderThe new Clandestine Channel Threat Commander will collaborate closely with the French to build on the joint work already underway, urgently exploring tougher action in France, including stronger enforcement measures and adopting interceptions at sea and the direct return of boats. For more information see attached Press Release.Gov. UK - Press Release - Small Boats Commander  (pdf, 944.6KB)